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Brazilian urban tales

Brazilians in general are very religious and over 85% of the population declares itself Christian, meaning that there are about 166 million people who claim to be Catholic or Protestant in Brazil.

In this sense, it’s very natural to have many legends that originates from Christianity, and this is just one example among many in Brazil.

So, let’s get to it! The “Little Black Grazing Boy” is an African-Christian legend told in the very late nineteenth century by the Brazilians who defended the end of slavery and was originated in the south of the country.

Legend has it that in times of slavery, there was an evil rancher that used to constantly punish his slaves and pedestrians, and on a cold winter day, the farmer sent a fourteen years old black boy to shepherd the horses and foals that he had just bought.

In the afternoon, when the boy returned, the rancher noticed that a bay horse was missing, so he picked up the whip, beat the boy and left him naked and bleeding in an anthill.

Next morning, when he went to see the boy, the rancher he was startled. The boy was there, but standing with smooth skin and no marks of lashes or ants bites. Beside him were Virgin Mary and the other horses.

The rancher threw himself on the ground asking for forgiveness, but the black boy didn’t answered him, but instead, kissed Virgin Mary’s hand, mounted on horse and left.

After that, regional drovers and lorry drivers reported to have seen pass a group of grays horses, played by a black boy mounted on a bay horse, and many lighted candles and prayed for the tortured soul.

Till these days, The Grazing Boy is considered by those who believe in the legend as the protector of the people who loses something. According to the belief, if you miss something, just ask for the pastoral boy help to find it. In return, one should light a candle to the child or buy a plant or flower.

This is another Brazilian urban tale about Fofão, a tv character from Balão Mágico (Magic Balloon), a very popular children’s tv show that aired in the 80s. The character was so successful that in 1986 it gained its own tv show and not long afteritalso had a doll made to his image and likeness.

Fofão in Portuguese means something like Fluffy, which is very comprehensible if you look at his huge cheeks! Well, if you look at it now you might find him very scary, but during the 80s he was adored by the kids.

But it all changed when he started to be compared to Chucky, the killer toy. The rumors started to spread around at the same time that the American movie was released, but Brazilians added a little spin to it.

According to the Brazilian legend, the stuffing of the toy was not as cuddly as the toy cheeks, and it was said that if you opened its belly you would find a black knife hidden inside the toy.

We don’t need to say that the rumor created panic between children’s and their parents, who started to boycott the toy.

The legend still persists among those who played with Fofão during their childhood, but luckily for today’s kids, the toys have a cutter face!

In a Brazilian city, called Sorocaba, a rumor started to spread regarding a mother that made a pact with the Devil so that she could afford to buy her daughter a Xuxa doll.

If you are not from Brazil, you might wonder who Xuxa is, so basically, she is one of the biggest celebrities in Brazilian TV history. She hosted the most popular children’s show that pretty much dominated Brazil in the late 1980s through the 90s, which landed her CD’s deals, movies roles and a lot of publicity. She was such a big success that even CBS gave her an English language show in 1994 trying to serve the South American/American market.

Latinfolktales Xuxa

Anyway, according to this urban legend, the following day, after the child had slept with her new toy, she inexplicably woke up all scratched and the doll’s plastic nails were stained with blood. Some people even say that the child died due to the injuries.

After the incident, the doll was chained in the sacred museum of the Metropolitan Cathedral of Our Lady of the Bridge. The news spread quickly and a crowd went to church on November 9, 1989 to find the author of aggression. The church pastor at that time had to close the doors to minimize the turmoil and sought the press and the police to warn that everything was just a rumor.

This occurred over 25 years ago and is still remembered as one of the most famous Brazilian urban legends and it was responsible for traumatizing countless Brazilian kids.

Latinfolktales Xuxa

In the years that followed, new rumors started to spread around alleging that Xuxa had made a pact with the Devil herself in order to get famous. Some people still believe that if you listen to certain Xuxa LP tracks backwards messages to the devil can be heard.